If it had been last season, Hansen would have chosen to forcefully break through the defense to score.
But this season, he could, but there was no need.
Because there were Irving and Jokic.
Especially Jokic.
The mont Hansen shook off Allen, he could receive a pass from Jokic and cut to the basket to score.
What it ant by Jokic’s clear strengths and weaknesses was that, even with the regular season’s experience, his weaknesses persisted in the playoffs, but his strengths also shone equally brightly.
Hansen alone scored 18 points in the final quarter, directly helping the Cavaliers secure a 109-96 victory in G1.
After the ga’s statistical roundup, Hansen recorded 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, Irving had 25 points and 7 assists, JR added 11 points, Jokic had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and TT contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Paul George tallied 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, Ellis scored 20 points with 5 assists, George Hill had 15 points and 4 assists, Turner added 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
"We all know what PG went through two years ago, and I’m happy that he’s back and performing well," Hansen said at the post-ga press conference, affirming George’s performance.
The Cavaliers started off with a victory at ho, and two days later, the two teams continued with their G2 competition at Quicken Loans Arena.
At the start of the ga, Malone showcased his two adjustnts.
One was to increase TT’s help defense on Jokic.
The other was to have Hansen start with isolations.
It was clear Malone didn’t want Hansen to exert too much in the first round.
This was a strategy to counter warfare with warfare.
After Hansen succeeded in two consecutive isolations, the Pacers made a defensive adjustnt.
However, they did not double-team him as in the last ga, but George took the initiative to switch onto Hansen!
George’s physique was similar to Hansen’s, and he possessed both speed and strength, his overall defensive ability might not match Allen’s, but specifically for guarding Hansen, he was a better choice.
An old friend flashed through Hansen’s mind, and by comparison, he affird George even more.
Still, George couldn’t stop Hansen.
Hansen was now playing his style, choosing his offensive approach based on the defender’s characteristics.
George was tall, but lacked the speed and screen navigation capabilities of Allen, so Hansen opted for more face-up dribbling attacks.
And he also began pick-and-roll plays with Jokic.
Allen’s help defense was strong, epitomizing the phrase "still as a maiden but moving like a rabbit," making it easy for him to disrupt direct drives.
The biggest advantage of the pick-and-roll with Jokic was that they could target Hibbert.
After a pick-and-roll with Hansen, Hibbert couldn’t defend the three-pointer at all.
Even if he could get there, Hansen easily drove past him.
Eventually, Hansen exploded for 21 points in the first quarter, helping the Cavaliers instantly build a double-digit lead, 35-22.
The Pacers were clearly baffled by this adjusted playing style.
In the end, with a burst of energy, the Cavaliers clinched another victory at ho, 114-98, changing the series score to 2-0.
After the first two gas, the teams headed to Indiana to continue with G3.
The Cavaliers had won the first two gas relatively easily and, barring any surprises, were expected to easily win this ga too.
However, before the ga started, Vogel also displayed his adjustnts, opting to start Turner instead of Hibbert.
This change had an imdiate effect.
Turner’s start not only brought defensive mobility but also created more offensive space.
Hibbert had a stable mid-range shooting ability, but his form had been off this season, missing all four attempts in the first two gas.
Moreover, George’s shooting was exceptionally hot in this ga.
For the first ti in the series, the ga went down to the wire.
The Indiana crowd’s cheers were thunderous.
Although down 0-2, and by sizable margins, the ga was still up for grabs as long as they could defend their ho court and even the series.
With 20 seconds left in the ga, Ellis drove and drew a foul, sinking both free throws to tie the score at 108.
After a tiout by the Cavaliers, Hansen took on George one-on-one, outmaneuvered him with a Mysterious Step Breakthrough, and scored a 2 1 against the help defender, Allen.
As the ball went in, the fans in the stands held their heads in despair.
At that mont, they finally understood the despair Miami fans had felt.
Hansen’s bonus free throw hit the mark, giving the Cavaliers a crucial 3-point lead with only 6 seconds left to play.
This essentially sealed the ga.
In the final 6 seconds, George inbounded the ball from the sidelines.
Trailing by 3 points, the Pacers had no choice but to attempt a three, and Vogel chose Ellis as the focal point for the play.
However, the strategy was too obvious. Not only was Ellis tightly covered by Hansen, but even the pass to Turner was knocked down by Jokic.
Just then, George reentered the play, grabbed the ball, and took the shot from one ter beyond the three-point line just before the buzzer.
The shot was a difficult one, but it went in with a clean swish!
The arena was instantly filled with the cheers of Indiana fans.
Who would stand defiantly, if not Indiana’s very own General George?
Although George’s shooting percentage wasn’t high, his career three-point shooting percentage was nearly 40%, quite impressive since he debuted as a 3D player.
Following the shot, an exhilarated George made a three-point celebration gesture towards Hansen.
In that mont, Hansen felt George’s challenge even more palpably than before.
Then, there was no then.
George’s miracle shot pulled the Pacers into overti.
But the atmosphere in the Pacers’ ho court quickly grew deathly quiet.
They were witnessing Hansen at full throttle.
Three-pointers following screens, 2 1 drives to the basket, pull-up jumpers over Allen, and ferocious dunks over George.
Hansen was responsible for all the Cavaliers’ points in overti, single-handedly clinching the ga.
"PG played perfectly tonight. He’ll be a superstar in the future, and I look forward to seeing his successful days in Indiana," Hansen remarked at the post-ga press conference, giving George even higher praise than before.
George scored 39 points in the ga, pushing the Cavaliers to the brink.
It could be said that without Hansen’s 2 1 before George’s three-pointer, the Cavaliers would have lost tonight.
If George hadn’t chosen his next team like in ’history,’ his career trajectory might have been different.
Of course, even if George ended up leaving the Pacers because of Hansen, it wouldn’t make a difference.
To Hansen, whether George stayed with the Pacers or moved to another team didn’t matter.
In Ga 4 of the series, the Pacers, down 0-3, didn’t collapse like the Heat had before; instead, they fought back desperately and won a ga at ho.
But that was all they could manage.
Returning to Cleveland, Hansen guarded George and led the Cavaliers from the start to a commanding 4-1 series win over the Pacers.
The Pacers’ performance in this series was better than the Bulls’ the previous year, but they too managed only one victory.
It was evident that the Cavaliers had significantly improved from last season.
It wasn’t just the addition of Jokic, but improvents from Hansen to Irving and even in the depth of the lineup.
On the other side, the Cavaliers advanced easily. Their potential opponents, the Raptors and Hornets, were locked in a fierce battle.
The Hornets, led by Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, inside-out duo, were stronger this season with the addition of Lin Shuhao, boosting their bench strength, possibly breaking into the second round for the first ti in franchise history.
However, in the end, powered by Derozan’s 30 points, the Raptors eliminated the Hornets in a seven-ga battle.
As expected, the Cavaliers were set to face the Raptors in the next round.
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